completed to date. These meetings produc ed
plans for a fully redesigned curriculum,
articulated in three phases: Foundation,
Integration, a nd Synthesis. Each of these
phases was differentiated by level s of
instruction, a nd coursework was laid out in
a n integrated sequenc e of lea rning, utilizing
a va riety of learning opportunity formats.
These plans were again presented to the
BAC’s larger community during two sessions
held in mid-September, 2011. Input and
feedba ck gathered from these were compiled
and given to the various design teams that
took on the tasks of designing course
descriptions and broad syllabi for the
interdisciplinary Foundation year. Cra ndon
Gusta fson, Head of the School of Interior
Design and Maria Bellalta, Head of the
School of Landscape Architecture, led the
designing of the graduate Foundation year,
and Karen Nelson, Head of the School of
Architecture and Don Hunsicker, Head of
the School of Design Studies, led the effort
of de signing the undergraduate Foundation
year. Diana Ramirez-Jasso, Director of
Liberal Studies, wrote c ours e de scription s for
both the undergraduate and graduate Libera l
Studies sequenc es, Herb Childress , D ean,
Research and Assessment, met with a group
to define a ssessment processes, both for
students and for the progra ms , themselves,
and Julia Halevy initiated a series of
meetings with administrative directors. Tina
Blythe, Director of Faculty Development,
has also met with Julia Halevy to begin the
process of designing the necessary instructor
educ ation that provides our faculty with
the understa ndings, skills and team
orientation to teaching the students in the
revised curricula. Addition ally, teams of
Instructors and Administrative Fac ulty
provided reflections to the undergraduate
a nd graduate Foundation design groups.
As questions arose concerning the
benefits to e xisting students as well a s to
understand the student who enters with
possible tra nsfer credit, the Head s of Schools,
led by Crandon Gustafson, designed plans
that a llow current students to c omplete their
studies in less time and to access some of the
revision s a s they move toward completing
their progra ms . The Implementation Task
Force, consisting of the Heads’ Team and
Directors of Administrative offic es ,
continued weekly meetings to re spond to all
the inevitable que stions and issues that arise
when planning for substa ntial change.
Finally, Provost Julia Halevy developed a
business plan that identifies the immediate
benefits and costs of the revisions.
Final progra m outlines have been
released, and new teams are forming to
design syllabi definition s for Foundation
course s. First and second semester c ourses
have been prepared and new course descrip-
tions for Segments II and III for e ach
progra m, a t both the undergraduate and
graduate le vels, a re being refined.
The new curriculum begins with an
intensive 8-day period of le arning, CityLab,
designed to introduc e students to the fields
of design through the City of Boston.
CityLab is followed by Critical Reading
and Research, Studio a nd Visual Thinking,
ea ch offered s eparately and differently to
undergraduate and graduate students . At
the graduate level, Studio and Critical
Reading and Research are being planned
as an integrated set of learning; at the
undergraduate le vel, this process is being
applied to Studio and CityLab. It is expected
All programs have been shortened, learning is developmental and
sequential, coursework and assignments are logically integrated across
disciplines, assessment is regularized.
Whitney Maehara, B.Arch
Hector Inirio, B.Arch
PRACTICE
22
FEATURE] TOWARD AN INTEGRATED CURRICULUM